GSA Unveils Key Tenets of Governmentwide E-Commerce Pilot

Story excerpt provided by Nextgov

Written by Jack Corrigan

The General Services Administration is kicking off the final phase of a multi-year effort to stand up a governmentwide e-commerce platform that would make it easier for agencies to buy commercial products.

GSA on Thursday released the implementation plan for part two of its commercial platforms initiative, laying out the blueprint for the initial version of the portal. In the months ahead, GSA and the Office of Management and Budget will start hunting for multiple vendors to build a proof of concept of the platform, which is scheduled to launch in late 2019.

The system would allow agencies to quickly purchase a wide variety of commercial products without going through the lengthy government procurement process. By offering items like office supplies, tools and hardware, the portal would make it easier for industry to do business with government and lower the price of basic goods for federal agencies, according to GSA officials.